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TechNet Asia-Pacific: New Pacific Air Force Technologies Fly

November 6, 2008

By Henry Kenyon

Maj. Gen. Mike Hostage III, vice commander, Pacific Air Forces

The U.S. Pacific Air Forces are rolling out new technologies and capabilities to government and industry partners while seeking to consolidate for efficiencies. But, its vice commander bemoans continuing cultural and technological hurdles to effective network centricity.

Among the new capabilities are voice over secure Internet protocol (VoSIP), which is in four bases and will be installed in all nine bases over the next 12 months. Airmen also are receiving secure mobile personal digital assistants with Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) security for sending secure e-mail. And, network operations and CERT functions are consolidated into single Air Force network operations.

But Maj. Gen. Mike Hostage III, USAF, vice commander, Pacific Air Forces, wants effective systems delivered on time. "A perfect course of action late to the fight isn't as good as a 90-percent solution delivered on time," he said. And, these systems should serve military needs, not those of industry.

The Army can provide ballistic missile defense capabilities to the Pacific Air Forces' air operations center. This helps improved missile threat defense. But, this data must be displayed on a separate monitor. Gen. Hostage wants that data to be consolidated with Air Force data so it can appear on a common monitor.

And, industry needs to build solutions based on Air Force needs, not its own capabilities. Gen. Hostage told industry, "Show us what you've got, look at our problem set, then help draw the links between the two."

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